Antioxidative phenolic compounds from Japanese barnyard millet (Echinochloa utilis) grains

Three antioxidative phenolic compounds, one serotonin derivative and two flavonoids, were isolated from an ethanol extract of Japanese barnyard millet (cv. Kurohie) grains by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography, Their structures were established to be N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin, luteolin, and tricin on the basis of spectrometric data from H-1 and C-13 and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry. N-(p-Coumaroyl)serotonin exhibited a strong antioxidant activity almost equivalent to that of butylated hydroxyanisole at the same concentration (w/v). Although the antioxidant activity of luteolin was lower than that of N-(p-coumaroyl)serotonin, it was nearly equal to that of quercetin, whereas the activity of tricin was lower than that of luteolin. All of them were newly isolated from Japanese barnyard millet grains.